Rope tramway



20, 1938. F. JOIANSEN ET AL ROPE TRAMWAY Filed NOV. 25, 1936 -E/ MEE J,- LLOYD.

l om@ 1 I Y* A Rodri;'rmnnwfirl "e Fredrik Johansen and Elmer'J.'Lloyd', Worcester,

Mass., assignors to The.,AmericanSteel and4 Wire Company of Ne'w Jersey,1a corporation yof? New Jersey Application November 25, 1936, Serial No. 112,764

2 Claims.

n This invention relates to improvements in rope tramways and more particularly to a connection adapted to permit the passage of a carrier for an yaerial tramway from a rigid overhead rail to a suspended flexible track. v

An object of this invention is to permit the .passage of ak tramway carrier from an Overhead `fixed rail onto a ysuspended track cable in a d smooth and gradual manner.

r`These and other advantages` will become. ap-

parent as the disclosure proceeds, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the movable rail end assembly;

- Figure 2 is a section Aon line II-II of Figvure 1;y K'

. ure 1; and

A yFigure 4 is a section on line IV-IV of Figure l.

In*` the drawing, the numeral 2 represents a cast ysteel movable rail end which is pivotally :supported rat 3 to the end of a rigid overhead railor track 4. The rail end 2 is constructed to `4Vprovide a main body portion of substantially in- Averted U-shaped cross-section, as shown. in Figof the movable rail end Zterminates in a flange y8 depending at a point substantially beyond the end of the rigid track 4. The flanges 6, which extend beyond the end of the movable rail end f 2, are provided with curved surfaces 9 tapering downwardly toward the free end of the flanges and terminating at their free ends in a plane Y 'belowthe tread surface of the rigid track'4. The ,movable rail end is pivotally secured to the rigid track at a point above the plane of the flexible trackflll as clearly shown vin Figure 2.

Theopposite orffree end of the movable rail l, end 2 l is provided with upwardly extending flanges I2A which are in a'plane below the plane ofthe flexible track I0, as clearly indicated in Figure' 4. In order to retain the freeend in proper relationship to the flexible track I0, a filler block I4 is suitably secured between the flanges I2.

Under such a construction, it ls possible to 'gure 3 isa section on line III-III of, Figpermit a gradual transfer of the carrier I5 from the rigid track 4 to the flexible track I0. As the wheelsv I6, of the carrier I5, approach the end of the rigid track 4, they engage, prior to the end of the track 4, the extended flanges 6 of the movable rail end 2, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. The top of these flanges 6 are curved Vto permit a gradual transfer of the carrier wheels I6 from the rigid overhead rail 4 onto the carrier engaging surface 5 of the movable rail end 2. The carrier beingr supported on the surface 5 of the rail end 2 passes over said rail end until it reaches a point substantially adjacent the free end thereof, whereupon it engages the extended flanges I2 prior to being transferred to the flexble track l0. The `flanges I2 support the carrier wheels I6 until the tread portion of said wheels, due to the downward pressure caused by the Weight of the carrier, engages the top of 'the flexible track Ill, as shown in Figure 4. The

weight of the carrier I5 then depresses the flexible track I to a slight degree and will continue to run on the flanges I2, due to their downward taper below the plane of the flexible member I0, until the resistance of the flexible track I0 is sufficient to support the load.

The flanges I2, of the movable end member 2, gradually taper downwardly toward their ends to a plane below the normal plane of the flexible track ID and, due to this curvature, assist in the gradual transfer of the carrier I from the movable rail end 2 onto the flexible track I0. Therefore, the carrier I5 has been transferred from the rigid track 4 to the flexible track IU in a smooth and gradual manner without any impact or jarring of the flexible track.

Such a smooth transfer of the carrier from the rigid track to the flexible track overcomes the main difficulties experienced in overhead transfer devices now in use. It eliminates continual pounding of the wires forming the flexible track and lessens the danger of a rupture to the wire constituting the flexible track.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim: l

1. In an overhead track construction including a, rigid track and a flexible track, a movable rail end of substantially inverted U-shaped construction pivotally supported by said rigid track and interposed between said rigid track and flexible track comprising a main body portion, flanges on each end of said main body portion, said iianges on one end disposed on each side of said rigid track and the flanges on the other end disposed on opposite sides of said exible track, the top surfaces of said flanges approaching gradually to the level of the tread surfaces of the respective tracks so that a carrier is transferred from said rigid track to said iiexible track in a smooth and gradual manner and with no rimpact on the flexible track.

2. In combination with a rigid track and a exible track, a movable rail end pivotally supported by said rigid track above the horizontal plane ofr the .flexible track, said movable rail end comprising a mainbody portion of substantially inverted U-shaped cross-section having a carrier-engaging surface, integral anges eX- tending from each end of said mainl body portion and disposed on opposite sides of said rigid track and flexible track, ller blocks Ybetween the rigid track and the anges disposed onY each side thereof, the iangesv on both ends 0f said mainbodyportion having curved faces to conform, with the respective tracks, to the contour of a Vvvheel carrier, the top surfaces of said anges approaching gradually to the level of the treadY surface of the respective tracks so that a carrier is transferred from said rigid track to Vsaid lexible track in a smooth and gradual manner devoid of any pounding to said exible track. Y

" FREDRIK JoHANsEN. ELMER J. LLOYD. 

